A writer from Pomfret says a coup is going on in America right now as we speak.

According to William Arkin, the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the constitution are eroding in an age of concocted fear and de facto military authority. He will speak about the current situation regarding secrecy, surveillance, government law-breaking and more at 4 p.m. Saturday at the fifth annual Bookstock Festival on the green in Woodstock.

Arkin will give a preview of his latest book “American Coup: How a Terrified Government Is Destroying the Constitution. The book's publisher is Little, Brown and Company and a publication date of Sept. 10 has been set.

Arkin has over 35 years experience in national intelligence issues. He served in Army intelligence in West Berlin during the Cold War and has written more than a dozen books, including the national bestseller “Top Secret America” with Washington Post reporter Dana Priest.

In “American Coup,” Arkin says that a group of high-level officials within the national security establishment is undermining the constitution. Whether it be secrecy, surveillance or government law-breaking acts, Arkin argues that no president in recent history has done anything to stop the abuse of power and that every aspect of civilian life has been militarized by national security programs.

Arkin hopes that Americans will see through the facade and take steps to restore the constitution written by the Founding Fathers a long time ago.

“It’s not a conspiracy or a Dick Cheney like cabal. It’s not an evil group of people but more like Wall Street. It doesn’t have a leader or a particular geographic location but it’s the totality of the interests of an interested class that every president from

Harry Truman to Barack Obama has given them the authority to prepare for major calamities that are assured to occur,” Arkin said.